Southfield stabbing case dismissed after victim fails to show up

Ernest Allen Jr., 53, was charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and a domestic assault charge tied to an alleged stabbing incident.

The case against a Southfield man accused of attacking his wife's son with a knife was dismissed Friday when the son failed to show up for the man's preliminary exam.

Their familial connections are rich with notoriety.

Ernest Allen Jr., 53, was charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and a domestic assault charge tied to an alleged stabbing incident.

Allen's preliminary exam, which would've included testimony from witnesses in the case, was dismissed when the victim -- 24-year-old Southfield resident Corinthian Gray, son of a former police officer -- didn't show up.

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Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton said the man's absence "came as a surprise to the prosecutor who was there."

Walton said the prosecutor working the case, Sarah Greene, had been in touch with Gray's family, and wasn't sure why he didn't come to court. Even the mother -- retired Pontiac Police Department officer Jerri Gray -- was not in court.

"We're going to be rewriting the case," Walton added. "We'll be rewriting the arrest warrant and going to court again." He also mentioned that Corinthian Gray's father was in Judge Bill Richards' courtroom Friday, and he, too, was unsure why his son didn't show up. Corinthian Gray's parents are no longer together.

The assault charges stemmed from a May 2 argument between Allen and his wife at their home on the 19000 block of Goldwin Street. When the argument in the couple's bedroom became physical, she called her son, Corinthian Gray, for help, said Southfield Police Department Lt. Nick Loussia.

The two men grappled, officials said, and Allen picked up a broken piece of a glass bowl, then a kitchen knife, and threatened the son. The confrontation ended with Allen allegedly striking young Gray on the top of the head, and once more near the right eye.

Southfield police and local emergency personnel arrived shortly after the scuffle, on a report of domestic assault. Officials treated Corinthian Gray for lacerations to his head. He was taken to Providence Hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening, Loussia said.

Allen and Jerri Gray were married nearly a year ago, according to registry records.

Jerri Gray -- who Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe confirmed worked for the Pontiac Police Department for more than 10 years -- was featured in 2008 as a Nancy Grace Extraordinary Parent Contest finalist.

The retired officer has two sons who excelled in school and on the football field. One son, Jonas Gray, was a standout running back in high school at Detroit Country Day in Beverly Hills.

He signed with the University of Notre Dame in 2007 -- where he played with former Heisman Trophy candidate and current San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o -- and was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Miami Dolphins in 2012.

Gray's older son, the victim in the case, played as a cornerback in 2008 and 2009 for the Palomar Community College Comets, a junior college in San Marcos, Calif.

Allen sat on the Detroit board of directors for the National African American Insurance Association. His biography on the association's website states that he and his family came to Michigan from New Orleans, La., in 1969.

Walton said Friday that prosecutors were unable to get in touch with the victim, who may have gotten the hearing dates mixed up. Regardless, he expects the legal process to be rebooted against Allen, he said.

Staff writer John Turk covers the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, police and general assignment. He can be reached at 248-745-4613.